Berhampur facing water crisis

BERHAMPUR: The city is on the verge of facing severe water scarcity this summer. Ironically it is going to coincide with the coming elections, when promises to solve drinking water crisis would have a free flow. This time leaders of political parties would have sheepish moments when the issue would come up for discussion during the election campaign. Another five years of promises and rhetoric about remedies for the perennial drinking water crisis in the city have passed. No practical solution has come up yet to solve the drinking water crisis.
Lack of rains during the winter months has drastically depleted the ground water level of the city. Wells, ponds and tube wells have started to dry up from the beginning of March.
The bed of Rushikulya River is also dry. It is going to affect the drinking water supply to the city as both the existing drinking water projects for the city are directly or indirectly related to this river.
The drinking water supply to the city has not increased much since last Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. But many projects have come up in files during the period. The city needs around 46 million litres of water per day (MLD). As per official records it gets a supply of only 33 MLD which falls to around 27 MLD in summer.
According to sources at present the supply is less than that. The list of unfulfilled promises and projects packed in files, aimed at solving the drinking water crisis of the city is quite long.
The Congress MP of Berhampur and Union Minister, Chandrasekhar Sahu a few years back had come up with proposal to connect the large tanks of the city to take their water to Dakhinpur reservoir for its supply after purification. But the idea seems to be forgotten. He as well as the BJD MLA of Berhampur, R.C.C.Patnaik continue to compete with each other in speeches to take credit for the proposed Ghatakeswar project.
Although the project was proposed to be completed by 2010 the real work on the project has not started yet. It may be noted that the foundation stone for this project has been laid twice in the past.
Foundation stone was laid for the renovation of the old reservoir at Dakshinpur to increase its water bearing capacity to increase water supply from it to the city. But according to sources the water supply from Dakhinpur reservoir has not increased till date. It was also reported that the Centre had sanctioned money for a new water treatment plant to provide 15 MLD of extra water to the city after its completion. But it has not materialised.
The long term project like the Cheligada project and a project to bring water by pipeline from Bhanjanagar to Dakhinpur, which are repeated by politicians are yet to take root.
The Hindu, 13 March